The Manhattan kitchen is small, but the owner has no trouble
making braised short ribs for eight in it. Cabinets are lacquered in
Bamboo Leaf by Fine Paints of Europe, as was the roller shade by
Manhattan Shade & Glass. Even the Sub-Zero refrigerator is painted
green. "I thought, 'Why replace this with a paneled kitchen?' I knew it
would paint beautifully — and that a strong brush of color would make it
exciting," designer Miles Redd says.
In a Vermont farmhouse designed by Susan Tully, an Aga range works beautifully with the kitchen's spare aesthetic.
In a
Charlotte, North Carolina, house, designer Lindsey Coral Harper made a
Roman shade in the same fabric as the kitchen sofa, Thom Filicia's
Prospect in Shadow for Kravet, to carry the ikat pattern across the
room.
Grounding Gray
The
kitchen is a favorite place to host casual lunches and dinners in a
Southern California house designed by Parrish Chilcoat and Joe Lucas.
"The mahogany-topped island can easily fit 12 stools," Chilcoat says.
"In a room this big, with east and west exposures, all this gray is
grounding," Lucas adds. To set the cabinets and island apart, the
designers painted them two different shades: Farrow & Ball's Down
Pipe, a warm gray, on the cabinets, and Benjamin Moore's cooler Chelsea
Gray on the island. Antique industrial pendants and a custom
stainless-steel hood add sculptural focal points. The backsplash is
acid-washed Seagrass limestone from Classic Tile.
In
designer Sheila Bridges's small, but elegant New York City kitchen,
Kohler's farmhouse sink is paired with a Kingston Brass Heritage
Collection faucet.
"The
owners didn't want a white kitchen, but they did want it to be a
bright, interesting room— the whole family spends a lot of time here,"
says Nancy Boszhardt of this New York apartment. "It's also a great
working kitchen. The wide plank floors are great to stand on while
you're cooking, the island is large, and they've got that incredible La
Cornue range." The hood was designed by architect Radoslav Opacic.
Countertops are Jerusalem Gold limestone slab. Custom barstools are
upholstered in Brunschwig & Fils leather. Faucet from P.E. Guerin.
"The
kitchen is where we hang out and entertain," says Monica Bhargava of
her California house. "I wanted it to feel soulful, and the Bolton
lanterns take me back to the bazaar." She hung two at either end of the
long room to unify the space. Captain barstools by Pottery Barn are
pulled up to the large island. "Everything is centered here," she
explains. "I can put out the best hors d'oeuvres on another table
somewhere else, and it doesn't matter. Everyone goes right back to that
island." Mauviel copper stockpot and Apilco Très Grande Porcelain
dinnerware from Williams-Sonoma. Baskets and trays by Williams-Sonoma
Home. Custom- made cabinets with open shelves are set against a
beadboard wall and accented with Rocky Mountain Hardware pulls.
"This
is a really green turquoise. It reminds me of sea glass, and we used it
in a beach house that was all about fresh air and fresh color. I
probably wouldn't have chosen it for solid cabinet fronts, but it worked
well in the back, as an accent color. And it tied in with other things
we used in the kitchen."
Farmhouse-Style
For
a new kitchen in in Mount Kisco, New York, Shaker-style cabinets by
Plain & Fancy, painted Teresa's Green by Farrow & Ball, have a
wonderfully old-fashioned but surprisingly fresh look. Vintage pendants
hung at different heights provide ambient and task lighting. The dark
brass schoolhouse lights were found at Scherer's Architectural Antiques.
"The homeowner is a serious cook," designer Young Huh says, "and she
wanted that Wolf range" — it has six burners, a double griddle, and two
ovens. Farmhouse table from Royal Port Antiques.
Neutral Kitchen
The
kitchen in a Seattle, Washington, house was remodeled with new
cabinetry painted Stone Harbor by Benjamin Moore and floor tiles from
New Ravenna. Designer Kelie Grosso hung a Swedish chandelier by Canopy
Designs because "a standard pendant light didn't make any sense for this
house." Indecasa TB counter stools, Design Within Reach.